The 2025 Met Gala is set to make history with an all-Black male lineup of co-chairs for the first time. Pharrell Williams, Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, and A$AP Rocky will lead the prestigious event, joined by honorary co-chair LeBron James.
This year’s theme, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” draws inspiration from Monica L. Miller’s book, Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, highlighting the significant impact of Black men on fashion from the 18th century to today.
The gala will take place on May 5, 2025, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, followed by the exhibition running from May 6 to October 26, 2025. The exhibit will feature garments, paintings, and photographs that explore Black dandyism and its role in cultural identity. Andrew Bolton will serve as Curator in Charge, with Miller as a guest curator.
This focus on Black male fashion is a significant shift for the Met Gala, which has not dedicated an exhibition solely to menswear since 2003. The event aims to celebrate and elevate the contributions of Black men to fashion history while promoting inclusivity within the art world.
As anticipation builds for this groundbreaking gala, discussions around the dress code and execution of the theme are already underway, with some expressing concerns about cultural sensitivity among non-Black attendees.
In 2024, Met Gala, the annual fundraising event for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, was themed “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,” with the dress code “The Garden of Time,” based on J.G. Ballard’s 1962 short story.
